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Perspective:
Perspective
17 Mar 2025
4 minute read

Western Sydney Economic Outlook

Charging Ahead: Western Sydney’s EV Future

Western Sydney has the potential to harness solar and EVs and lead the charge towards cost-effective transportation. The economic, financial and environmental advantages of this shift are undeniable. Let’s accelerate this transition for a financially and environmentally sustainable future.  

Read the full report: Western Sydney Economic Outlook
5 MB PDF

Currently, EV adoption in Western Sydney lags behind the Sydney CBD, where public EV chargers are as common as petrol stations. In contrast, Western Sydney has twice as many petrol stations as chargers, highlighting the need for infrastructure improvement. Western Sydney households stand to benefit significantly from this shift.   

With over 180,000 EVs now on Australian roads, most purchased in the last two years, EVs represent nearly 10% of new vehicle sales. As charging infrastructure continues to improve and lower-cost EV options become more competitive with traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, we anticipate a significant environmental impact. 

The latest edition of the Western Sydney Economic Outlook delves further into the transformative potential of solar energy and electric vehicles (EVs) in Western Sydney. Our report highlights how these advancements can lead to a cheaper, cleaner, and more efficient transportation system for the region. 

Download your copy of the Western Sydney Economic Outlook report today.  

  • Western Sydney's EV fleet will grow from 11,000 to 371,000 vehicles by 2030. We will need to rethink how we source electricity in Western Sydney to accommodate the forecast increase in demand that will be largely driven by the electrification of transport.
  • EV adoption in Western Sydney (less than 1%) lags significantly behind Sydney CBD (9% of registered vehicles). Within 10km of the CBD, public EV chargers are as common as petrol stations, but 30km from the city there are twice as many petrol stations as chargers.  
  • Western Sydney households can see their annual fuel bill decrease by 74% by switching to an EV.  
  • If the current rooftop solar capacity in Western Sydney were left unchanged (~2.9 GW), a quarter would be used to charge Western Sydney EVs during the peak period by 2030, which is approximately equivalent to the electricity produced by a mid-sized nuclear reactor. 
  • There are now more than 180,000 EVs on Australian roads, a majority of which were purchased in the last two years. Evs now represent almost 10% of new vehicle sales, as charging infrastructure improves and lower-cost options become more competitive with traditional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEs).  
  • As older cars hit the scrapheap, EVs will increase their share of Australia’s vehicle fleet, helping to deliver a cleaner and more efficient transport sector. 

Co-authored by:

Nafees Beg 
Senior Analyst, Deloitte Access Economics

Dominic Behrens 
Senior Analyst, Strategy, Risk & Transactions


Previous editions:

'From Growing Pains to Making Gains', Western Sydney Ecomonic Outlook Edition 1

‘Emerging High-Tech Industrial Powerhouse’, Western Sydney Economic Outlook Edition 2 

Author

Eamon McGinn

Deloitte - Australia
Eamon’s focus has been on applying quantitative microeconomic modelling to answer business and policy questions. This includes policy simulation, cost benefit analysis and forecasting. He has experience in infrastructure intensive industries such as transport, energy and mining. Recent projects have covered transport infrastructure planning, natural disaster risks, logistics (particularly stevedoring and ports) and land use planning (including agriculture and mining).
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Contact us

Eamon McGinn

Partner, Deloitte Access Economics
+61 2 9322 7118

Helen Hamilton-James

Managing Partner, Western Sydney
+61 2 9840 7000

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